Take-up for knitting machines



1,638,955 Aug. 16, 1927. N J. PERRY TAKE-UP FR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed Deo, 22, 1919 Patented Alug. 16, 1927.

UNITED STATES 9 1,638,955 PATENT OFFICE.

NAPOLEON J'. PERRY, DECEASED, LATE OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE; BY JULIUS W. MARTIN, ADMINISTRATOR, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOB TO MAY HOSIERY.MILLS, 0F NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION 0F TENNESSEE.

TAXE-UP FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

original application filed December 22, 1919, Serial No. 346,681. Divided and this application nied August 88, 1921, Serial No. 484,631. Renewed June 25, 1926.

This said invention relates to an auxiliary take-up for knitting machines intended rimarily for use in machines adapted to nit in string Work composed of an endless succession-of stockings and especially such as have ribbed legs and plain feet. The take-ups ordinarily used in machines for knitting string Work are not Well adapted to handle such Work for the reason that the presence of heel and toe pouches prevents equal transmission of the pull of the take-up to all parts of the fabric at the needles and it is an object of this invention to provide a device which shall equalize the tension by acting progressively on the fabric in the zone of said pockets to exert additional tension thereon in the region adjacent the needles.

Attempts have heretofore been made to solve this problem but the constructions suggested have been uncertain in operation, or have damaged the fabric, or both. rIherefore it is a further`object of this invention to provide a device of the character indicated which shall have no harmful effect on the fabric, and Which shall act by fric tion so as to avoid the formation of holes in the fabric.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is an elevation of this device partly in section, and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing the driving means therefor as seen from the front.

In the drawings reference character 10 indicates the cylinder of a dial and cylinder machine such as shown in a previous application No. 346,681, filed December 22. 1919 of which this application is a division. The cylinder carries needles 11 which cooperate with needles 12 carried by the dial 13 to knit a fabric of the character above described. Web holders 14 located in va web holder bed 15 are actuated by a cam ring 16 in the usual manner, and the fabric asses therefrom to the main take-up as indicated in dotted lines in Figure l. Any desirable or conventional form of main take-up may be used as referred. There is shown a take-up of We l-known type consisting of a. pair of rollers 41 contacting with the fabric and journaled on a bracket 42 plvoted at 43. A pulley 44 is driven by a belt 45 connected with the driving means for' the knitting machine and is geared to the rollers in usual manner. A Weight at 4 6 supplies the necessary adjustable tension for holding the bracket down.

On a post 17 of the machine there is supported a bracket 18 having pivoted at 19 an upwardly extending bar 20 normally moved toward the post by a spring 21. This bar carries a roller, preferably in the form of a sprocket 22 at its upper end and a belt 39 having rings 40 of Wire or the like fixed thereto at intervals and preferably surrounding the same, 'passes about sald sprocket and about a sprocket 23 on the pivot 19. The belt normally rests at its upper end against the fabric and if the fabric is sufficiently slack the belt presses 1t against a collar 24 pinned to the lower end of the dial post 25.

A ratchet 2G is mounted on a pivot 27 at the outer end of the bracket 18 and is driven by paWl 28 on an arm 29 swingable on the same pivot'. Back` motion of the ratchet is prevented by a locking pawl 28. A rod 30 connected at its lower end to said arm passes through bearings 31 and 32 on the bracket 18 and is normally held in the position indicated by a spring 33 resting at one end against bearing 32 and at the other end against a collar 34 on the rod. The rod is actuated intermittently by a strikerarm 35 on a shaft 36 which in this instance is the shaft carrying the usual segment for giving oscillating' movement to the needle cylinder. As the shaft oscillates, strikerarm 35 moves rod 30 to operate the ratchet and this through gears 37 and 38 drives the sprocket 23 which may be formed integral with or fixed to the gear 38.

In the operation of the machine it will be seen that the belt 39 will be intermittently and frequently operated. As the belt is resiliently held against that zone of the fabric wherein pouches are formed it will tend to hold the same under tension uniform with that of the remainder of the circumference of the tube at its upper ed e While a pouch is being formed. Shougd sufficient slack develop to permit the belt to rest against the collar 24 then the cross ribs of the belt will act to feed the fabric forward independently of the main takeup. This obviously will occur only when heel and toe pockets are being formed on a segment of the needles, the remaining needles at that time being out of operation. The auxiliary take-up will, however, keep this part of the tube under uniform tension with the rest ofA the circumference of the stocking after round-and-round knitting is resumed. At the same time the additional tension created by the auxiliary take-up cannot damage the fabric, the action being frictional and decreasing to a minimum when the fabric is taut. The main take-up is constantly driven by the belt whenever the work is slack. When the knitted tube becomes taut the rollers travel up the tube and lift the bracket thus causing the belt 45 to become slack in the usual manner, whereupon the rollers cease to rotate until lowered by the lengthening of the tube.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the device without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims in which the invention is more particularly set forth, the form shown and described being merely illustrative of the invention.

Having thus' fully described this said invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a' dial and cylinder knitting machine Aadapted to form in succession ribbed fabric and plain fabric with heel and toe pockets, an auxiliary take-up comprising means for progressively engaging the fabric at a constant distance from the dial in the segment containing said pockets, and driving means therefor, substantially as set forth.

2. In a dial and cylinder knitting machine adapted to form in succession ribbed fabric and plain fabric with heel and toe pockets, an auxiliary takeup comprising means for progressively engaging the fabric at a con stant distance from the dial and adapted to bear against the strip of fabric comprising said pockets and to press the same against an element of the dial, and means for driving said device, substantially as set forth.

3. In a knitting machine adapted to form in succession ribbed fabric and plain fabric with heel and toe pockets, a dial, a cylinder, a take-up for the fabric having an endless belt adapted to bear against a longitudinal strip of the fabric comprising such pockets and to press the same against an element of the dial and means for supporting and continually driving said belt throughout the knitting operation, substantially as set forth.

4.. in a dial and cylinder knitting machin@ having means to knit in succession ribbed fabric and plain fabric having pockets, a take-u having frictional contact with'the fabric 1n the segment containing the pockets, a fixed abutment in contact with the fabric directly oppositevthe takeup against which the fabric is pressed thereby, and means for positively driving said take-up in timed relation with the knitting mechanism, substantially as set forth.

5. In a dial and cylinder knitting machine adapted to form successive sections of ribbed knitting and plain knitting with heel and toe pockets, a take-up constantly acting on the entire width of the fabric, and an auxiliary take-up having an endless traveling surface acting on a strip of fabric comprising said ckets, substantially as set forth.

6. A t e-up-for knitting machines comprising an endless belt' adapted to act on a fabric to feed the same, .said belt having wires extending across its face to form frictionally engaglng teeth, means to hold a part of said belt against the fabric and means to drive said belt, substantially as set forth.

7. In a dial and cylinder knitting machine adapted to form in succession ribbed fabric and plain fabric with heel and toe pockets, an auxiliary take-up comprising a member having an endless traveling surface acting on the fabric in the region of said pockets and means to drive the member, substantially as set forth.

8. In a dial and cylinder knitting machine adapted to form a tubular fabric having successive sections of ribbed knitting and plain knitting with heel and toe pockets, a constantly acting take-up, an auxiliary takeup acting frictionally on the fabric in the region of said pockets, and means to actuate the same during the assage of a pocket, to maintain a substantia ly uniform tension about the circumference of the tube in the vicinityv of the needles, substantially as set forth.

9. A take-up for knitting machines comprising a bracket on a fixed part thereof, an arm extending upwardly therefrom and having notched pulleys at each end, a belt extending over the pulleys and having means to engage the notches of the pulleys, means for holding said arm in position to cause the belt to bear against the fabric and means for actuating the pulleys to cause the belt to feedthe fabric in one direction, substantially as set forth.

10. A take-up for knitted fabrics comprising a bracket on a fixed part of the machine, a pivoted bar extending upwardly therefrom, notched pulleys on the bar, a belt carried by said pulleys and having means to engage the notches of the pulleys, a spring to move said bar in one direction at its free end, a ratchet on the bracket 0.011-

nected to said belt for driving the same, a continually acting rock arm on the machine, and means for driving the ratchet from said rock arm throughout the knitting operation, substantially as set forth.

11. In a dial and cylinder knitting machine having means to knit in succession ribbed fabric and plain fabric having pockets, a take-up having frictioiial contact with the fabric, a fixed abutment against which the fabric is pressed thereby, and means for driving the take-up intermittently during the passage of a pocket, substantially as set forth.

12. In a hosiery knitting machine embodying means to knit a tubular fabric with heel and toe ckets, the combination of two takeup mecl anisms one acting on the knitted web close to the knit-tiiig point in the zone containing said heel and toe pockets and the other acting on the web remote from said oint, and each having a continuously traveiling member contacting with the wor and exerting a tensioning action on the web.

13. In a hosiery knitting machine, the combination of two take-up mechanism one acting on a narrow segment of the knitted web close to the knitting int and the other acting on the entire Wi th of the web remote form said point each take-up mechanism having a continuously traveling meinber in constant engagement with the web and exerting a tensioning effect thereon, substantially as set forth.

14. In a circular hosiery knitting machine, the combination of two-take-up mechanisms one acting on a narrow strip of the tubular knitted web close to the knitting point and the other acting on approximately the entire circumference of the tubular web remote from said point each take-up mechanism including a member having an endless traveling surface contacting with said web and exerting a tensioning action thereon, substantially as set forth.

15. In a hosiery knitting machine, the combination of two take-up mechanisms one acting on a narrow strip of the tubular knitted web close to the knitting point and the other acting on approximately the entire circumference of the tubular web remote from said point each take-up mechanism including a member having an endless traveling surface adapted to engage saidweb and exert tension thereon, substantially as set forth.

16. In a dial and cylinder knitting machine adapted to form in succession ribbed fabric and plain fabric with heel and toe pockets, an auxiliary take-up comprising means for progressively engaging the fabric at a constant distance from the cylinder verge in the segment containing said pockets, and driving means therefor, substantially as set forth.

17. I n a knitting machine adapted to form successive sections of ribbed knitting and plain knitting with heel and toe pockets, a takeup acting on the entire width of the fabric, and an auxiliary take-up having an endless traveling surface acting on a strip of fabric comprising said pockets, substantially as set forth.

18. In a hosiery knitting machine embodying means to knit a tubular fabric with heel and toe pockets, the combination of a take-up acting on the entire Width of the fabric, and an auxiliary take-up exerting continuous tension on that segment of the fabric containig the heel and toe pockets said auxiliary take-up being located between the first-named take-up and the knitting point, substantially as set forth. n 19. In a hosiery knitting machine embodying means to knit a tubular fabric with heel and toe pockets, the combination of a main take-up and an auxiliary take-upexerting continuous tension Jn that segment of the fabric containing the heel and toe pockets said auxiliary take-up being located between the first-named take-up and the knitting point, substantially as set forth.

20. In a knitting machine embodying means to knit a tubular farbic with heel and toe pockets the combination of a main takeup, and an auxiliary take-up having an endless traveling surface acting on a segment of the fabric containing the heel and toe pockets, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Washington, District of Columbia, this 18th day of August, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-one.

JULIUS W. MARTIN, Administrator of the Estate of Napoleon J.

Perry, Deceased. 

